Training Wheels
by ccQTccQT
Summary: Carly-centric Oneshot...tells the story of Seddie through Carly's POV and also describes the loss of a friendship with a surprising and hopeful ending. Rated T for mild language...Please read and review!


Training Wheels

**I never really write these so I decided to give it a try, this is Seddie so don't like don't read. Okay, here we go!**

'This is all my fault, really,' she thinks to herself. Carly admired the couple from across Central Park. The brown-haired man was whispering into the blushing blonde's ear. Their happy toddler cooed from her stroller. They were such a cute, perfect family. Carly missed her best friends dearly. But they refused to talk to her, as did most people from high school, after what happened at the wedding…that fiasco….the whole thing started safe to say, May 5th, 2011. 15 years ago….During their junior year of high school in fact…..

_FLASHBACK_

May 6th, 2011

"Carly, what's the big deal? C'mon, I said I'm sorry!" Sam pleaded as Sam and Carly went back to Carly's apartment. Carly hadn't meant to snap at Sam, but she was PMSing and her date with Gibby had been ruined thanks to Sam.

Carly snapped, "The big deal is tonight was kinda important to me and you just barge in on my date and now Gibby's gone home because you just _had _to spill guacamole sauce on him!"

Sam began, "Carly-"

"No! You're my best friend and I love you, but I need my space sometimes!" Carly interrupted.

Sam's face fell, "Oh, I see…"

Carly sighed, "Sam-"

"No, it's okay. Um, I'll just, I'll just see you around…." Sam sputtered as she slowly exited the apartment.

Carly groaned and flopped down on the couch.

May 9th, 2011 

"SAM!" Carly shrieked when she saw Sam on Monday at school. Sam and Freddie walked in together, giggling about something when the both reached the lockers.

"Hey," Sam greeted, hesitantly.

Carly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that!"

Sam shrugged, "Eh, it's cool."

Carly smiled, "I'm glad. So, uh, where were you this weekend?"

Both Freddie and Sam giggled slightly, "Um, well Freddie and I crashed like 7 movies on Saturday. It was SO fun!" Carly grinned that her two best friends were getting along smoothly. "Oh, and on Sunday we went out to brunch at this new place, oh my god, they had the BEST bacon ever!" Carly's smile faltered momentarily because Sam and Carly always went out for brunch on Sundays, but Carly overlooked it.

"Wow, sounds fun!" Carly said excitedly. "So, you guys coming over today? I have a meeting, but it shouldn't take long, you guys can get home before me. Cool?"

Sam nodded and Freddie voice, "Si! Okay, later ladies!"

* * *

><p>4:20<p>

Carly was pacing around in the living room. Sam and Freddie were supposed to be here already, but they were nowhere in sight. She thought about calling Sam, but just as she reached into her backpack, Sam and Freddie came bursting in with smoothies and laughing about something.

Carly smiled like a good sport and wondered, "What's so funny?"

Sam just chuckled, "Had to be there…"

Carly nodded but added, "Where were you guys? I thought you guys were coming here."

Freddie replied, "Well, we were gonna but then-"

"I got thirsty so we got smoothies. We were gonna get you one but-" Sam cut in.

"Sam spent the rest of my money on donuts!" Freddie finished.

Sam reasoned, "Hey! They were good!"

Freddie cocked his head to the side, "Yeah, they were."

Carly rolled her eyes playfully.

June 13th

Carly brought in her suitcases from the 2 weeks, Spencer and she spent in Yakima. She took out her phone to text Sam if she wanted to come over.

**Carly: Hey girl! You wanna come over 2day? Just got back from Yakima…**

**Sam: lol would love to, but at the water park with Freddie all day! Can't talk…ttyl 33**

Carly tossed her phone onto her bed and plopped down on the couch. She unpacked her laptop and checked Facebook. She decided to check Sam's profile and noticed Sam's profile picture was a recent one of Sam and Freddie at the amusement park. It was a cute one of Sam and Freddie on a ride with Sam buried into Freddie's shoulder laughing as Freddie's mouth hung open wildly. Carly chuckled and noticed there were about 22 likes on the picture. Her smile quickly faded when she noticed the caption read 'Me and my bestestt friend at the waterpark…..even tho he's a nub'

Her eyebrow rose. 'Bestest friend?'

June 15th 2011

Carly frowned, alone, in the iCarly studio. Sam and Freddie had been at the amusement park every day this week because they claimed a new ride was installed while Carly was in Yakima. She was waiting for iCarly rehearsal to begin. Freddie and Sam came thundering in. They were cheering for some reason. Sam squealed, "Oh my god! Carly, guess what?"

Carly raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

Freddie beamed, "Sam and I won tickets to see Cuttlefish in concert AND go backstage AND actually talk to the band!

Carly screamed, "OH MY GOD! WE CAN DO ICARLY THERE! I CAN'T WAIT! AHHH I'M GONNA GET TO MEET CUTTLEFISH!"

Sam and Freddie's grins faltered, "Well you see, Carly, um, well, Freddie you tell her."

Freddie finished, "Um, we only won 2 tickets. But I mean, I could stay I guess, if you really want-"

"No, no, you guys go! I mean, it's _your _tickets anways," Carly responded, crestfallen.

Sam gave her a weak smile, "Sorry, kid."

Carly shrugged, "Let's just rehearse iCarly."

* * *

><p>After the concert, Sam and Freddie were inseparable. That was the first sign. If only Carly had paid attention.<p>

* * *

><p>The months before Christmas were great. It was senior year and since they worked hard during junior year, senior year was a breeze. Sam raised her GPA and SAT scores due to late-night study sessions with Freddie. She had even applied to some of the best colleges, just as Carly and Freddie did.<p>

Carly, Sam, and Freddie sat in Carly's living room exchanging presents. Spencer was out with his newest girlfriend but had given them all PearTunes gift cards. The fire was crackling and a plate of gingerbread cookies were set out. In the stereo, Carly's Christmas CD played at a low volume. A cinnamon candle burned slowly, setting the scene for the perfect Christmas as snowflakes fell slowly outside. Carly squealed, "Ohhh, lemme go first!" From Sam, she received a cute pair of glittery Sperry's that Carly gushed about during Thanksgiving break. From Freddie, she got a small, black cross body bag with various glitter and faux gems. Carly gushed, "Aw, thanks you guys!" as she wrapped them both in a tight hug at the same time.

Freddie opened his present from Carly which turned out to be a brand new leather laptop case with pockets for various cords. He gave her a friendly pat on the back and a smile. "Thanks, Carly!" He grinned. Freddie ripped open the rather large package from Sam which was a large, new video camera that was expensive and professional because it came with a large, overhead microphone attachment. Freddie gasped, "NO WAY! OH MY GOD, SAM! This is SO amazing! How did you know? This must've cost you a fortune, holy crap! H-how? Why?"

Sam shrugged bashfully, "Well, I heard you and your A/V nerds gushing over this and my cousin's girlfriend's dad works in the technical department at CNN and companies send these kinds of things all the time! It was no big, for real. And why? Well, because you're my best friend."

Freddie gave Sam a large bear hug which caused Sam to blush slightly. She murmured something like, "Next year, you're getting socks…"

When it was time for Sam to unwrap her present from Carly, it was revealed to be a new subscription to Bacon of the World. Sam squealed and gave Carly a big hug exclaiming, "You did awesome, kiddo! This is SO great!"

Sam unwrapped Freddie's last. The box was somewhat small but inside was a real, white gold chain necklace with an amethyst pendant. Sam gasped loudly. She whispered, "Oh my God, Freddie Claus, it's gorgeous!" She quickly fastened it on.

Freddie beamed at Sam's reaction, "There's more! Check under the fluff."

Under the fluff in the box, were two front-row tickets at the next MMA fight in Seattle which was two weeks from Christmas. Sam jumped up and began cheering and screaming. Freddie and Carly chuckled at her antics as they stood up as well. Suddenly, Sam leapt onto Freddie and hugged him fiercely. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. A million times THANK YOU! You're seriously the best! I frickin' love you right now! This is AWESOME, Freddison!"

Freddie, in turn, twirled them around and slightly blushed at Sam's 'I love you' comment. They both seemed to get lost in each other's eyes – Carly just a bystander in their special moment.

March 13th, 2012

Carly and Freddie were sitting in the iCarly studio waiting for Sam to rehearse. It had been a while since they just hung out. "So, who're you taking to prom, Freddie?"

Freddie was about to respond when Sam screeched, "AHHHHHHHHH! GUESS WHAT?" as she ran into the iCarly studio.

Freddie jumped up, "What's wrong?"

Sam beamed so wide and then shouted, "I'M GOING TO STANFORD!"

Carly opened her arms, ready for Sam to hug her, when the strangest thing happened. Sam ran _right past her, _into Freddie's waiting arms. He held her in a tight, warm embrace as he said excitedly, "I am SO proud of you, Sam! You did it!"

Sam shook her head as they finally pulled away, "No, _we _did it! I couldn't have gotten the grades without you tutoring me. So thanks SO much!" Sam finally gave Carly a tight hug but it barely lasted before she started squealing.

Freddie announced, "Okay, we'll rehearse tomorrow, we're celebrating tonight! All of us!"

Sam confusedly asked, "Just because I got into Stanford?"

Freddie grinned, "No, because I got in too! My letter came a few days ago. I told you it's my dream school! Wow, we'll be at college together! Carly, did you get your acceptance letter too?"

Carly responded, "Um, well, no. They, uh, didn't accept me. But who cares right? I mean, NYU isn't that far away is it?"

Sam gasped, "You're going to NYU? But I thought, we were all going to school together?"

Carly replied, "Well, yeah, but I really, really want New York, and I didn't even want to go to Stanford. And it's not that far away."

Sam frowned, "I guess. But we're skyping every day!"

Carly grinned, "Hell yeah! Oh wait, guys, I can't go out tonight. Derek is taking me out tonight for our weekaversary."

Sam frowned even deeper, "What? Can't you tell him no for like, one night? It's really important to me tonight!"

Carly bit her lip, "Welll yeah, but I already cancelled last week to go to Spencer's Art Show."

Sam pressed, "But you're always hanging out with Derek! C'mon, just this once, please?"

Freddie added, "C'mon! Look how excited Sam is!"

Carly groaned, "Maybe tomorrow night?"

Sam sighed deeply, "Yeah, whatever. Hey, um, I gotta go and call Mel, so um, later. Call me, Fredford, to let me know when we're going out."

Freddie replied, "Sure thing! I better go and get ready. Bye Carly, have fun with Derek."

April 6th, 2012

"YAY!" sang Carly happily, "Prom is tomorrow!" Carly was going to prom with her current boyfriend, Derek, and Sam and Freddie agreed to go with each other as 'friends'.

Sam groaned, "Ugh, don't remind me! It's gonna be so boring!"

Freddie retorted, "Not with me, it won't! I promise."

Sam grinned, "It better not be cliché and boring, Benson!" Freddie simply rolled his eyes.

Carly interrupted, "Hey, you guys should come in the limo with Gibby, Tasha, Derek and I! Seriously!"

Sam groaned, "Hell no! That is the most cliché prom thing ever. Almost as bad as losing your v-"

"Sam!" Carly hissed, "Don't use the word! And anyways, please."

Sam stubbornly shook her head. Carly, exasperated, turned to Freddie, "Please, Freddie, for me? Make Sam come in the limo with us!"

Freddie raised an eyebrow and responded, "You do know that doesn't work on me, don't you? Sam's my date, and if she doesn't want a limo, then we're not going in the limo. And besides, I don't want to go in the limo either. I've got something else in store."

Sam grinned smugly, "YAY! No limo!"

April 7th, 2012

Carly, Derek, Gibby, and Tasha just walked away from their limo when everyone gasped. Sam and Freddie were riding into prom on a carriage. Sam looked stunning from her curly hair in a perfect updo to her flawless makeup, courtesy of M.A.C. to her light blue, Cinderella-inspired prom dress with jewels adorning in, to her shiny, silver stiletto sandals. A light pink blush touched her cheeks as everyone admired her from afar – the ladies were jealous of Sam and the boys were jealous that they didn't _have _Sam.

* * *

><p>Sam and Freddie were having so much fun during prom just by joking and laughing and dancing foolishly. Carly, however, had a suckish prom after Derek told her he just wanted to be friends after he saw his ex in a sexy little dress. Carly, truthfully, wanted to go home, but she heard rumors that a certain iCarly star was going to win prom queen and she needed to know if the rumors were true. Principal Franklin announced, "Prom King is Freddie Benson and Prom Queen is, wow, there appears to be a tie between Carly Shay and Samantha Puckett! Can we have both girls and Freddie on stage please?"<p>

Carly made her way on stage as Sam and Freddie did from the other side. Principal Franklin continued, "Okay, since there is just one crown, our Prom king will have to choose his queen! Freddie?"

Freddie looked surprised but he just looked at both Sam and I and said simply, "Sam's my date, so I'm picking her," which earned lot of applause.

'I didn't win Prom Queen,' Carly thought to herself. Her eyes felt itchy and she was ready to cry, but not onstage. Sam mouthed a 'Sorry,' and Freddie looked at me apologetically. I just gave them a thumbs up as I made my way off stage. Freddie and Sam made their way for their 'King and Queen' dance when she realized it. 'All the signs were clear. Sam and Freddie were in love. They really did love each other. They'd get married and they'd have inside jokes and kids and things I didn't know about. But they already did all those things. I was just their third wheel,' Carly thought. That thought angered and saddened her.

Carly decided to test them by leaving prom early and seeing if they noticed the next morning.

They didn't.

They did, however, both emerge from Freddie's apartment in the morning which meant one thing – they committed a cliché that night.

November 24, 2012

It was a lonely Thanksgiving for Carly in New York. Her boyfriend, Dustin, flew home to see his family in Texas. Carly would have gone home, but she didn't see the point. After graduation, Carly flew straight to New York to begin her internship. After prom, she started seeing Sam and Freddie less. They were all busy with their own future plans, although most of Sam and Freddie's s coincided with each other. Sam and Carly called each other every day at first. Freddie joined in, most days. They skyped every Sunday at noon. Carly even visited one weekend. It was a girls' weekend, just Sam and Carly. But Sam ended up just gushing about Freddie the whole time. Then, one day in July, the calls were less frequent. Maybe twice or three times a week. The talks were shorter. There were much more, "Ugh, I have to go, I'll call you back," but without the actual callbacks. They stopped skyping so often. Then the calls got less and less frequent. Maybe once a week, if Carly was lucky. Then, it stopped all together. It was in September. Sam and Freddie stopped calling her. And she stopped calling them.

Then suddenly, the phone rang. It was Sam's cell phone. "Carly?"

"SAM!" Carly shrieked happily. She could almost picture her blonde best friend right beside her.

"Hey, I can't stay for long, but we all miss you tons! It's just Spence, Freddie, Freddie's mom, Mel, my mom and me this year. I made the turkey this year after the one Spencer made lit on fire. You don't wanna know," Sam replied.

Carly chuckled, "It's so nice to talk to you again. I miss everyone. I miss my bed, my closet, my brother, my crazy neighbor and my best friends! I miss Seattle! How's Freddie been?"

Sam giggled, "Freddie's been _very _good. Um, Carly, Freddie and I, well, we're officially dating."

Carly froze. It was official. They were dating. It was inevitable of course, but Carly didn't think it would happen so soon.

Carly cleared her throat, "WOW! Um, Congratulations! I'm so happy for you guys! It's about time, really."

Sam chuckled, "Well, it's okay with you, then?"

This was Carly's chance. She could come clean. 'No, it's not okay because you guys are leaving me even more!' 'No, it's not okay because _I_ am your best friend and should always _be _your best friend, not Freddie.' 'No, it's not okay because Freddie was mine first! I mean, I just thought he would always love me! What am I? Last week's trash?' 'No, it's not okay because this was never part of my plan!' But Carly couldn't let her selfish side take over. Her wishes were stupid, irrational, and immature. This is why Carly replied, "It's more than okay. I'm thrilled, honestly."

April 4th, 2021

They hadn't spoken since that Thanksgiving. Honestly, they had just fallen out of touch. Carly was so hurt when she got the letter to the wedding because she hadn't even known they were engaged. However, she arrived just before the wedding began, in a pretty, pink dress. She waved to Gibby and his wife. He simply smiled back at her. Spencer's wife, Abby, and their two daughters were seated a few row ahead of Carly. Carly sat down just when the wedding march began. Freddie was handsome in his expensive suit and he looked nervous yet ecstatic. He hadn't seen Carly yet. Some unfamiliar faces walked down the aisle as bridesmaids in royal purple dresses– women Carly presumed were Sam's friends. Melanie was the maid of honor and walked down the aisle with her husband, Lucas. Everybody stood as Sam emerged in a simple, yet elegant wedding dress. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders and one beautiful pin shone. **(a/n: link in profile) **The crowd gasped as she made her way down the aisle. Her eyes were glued to Freddie and she had a faint blush on her cheeks. She looked absolutely radiant. Freddie's eyes lit up as he caught Sam's eye, obviously soothing his nerves.

Carly was near the back, so she could barely hear what was said. But they said their vows and ended in a kiss. Mrs. Benson and Mrs. Puckett (who had cleaned up her act, surprisingly) wept onto each other. When the ceremony was finished, the entire congregation all left for the reception in cheers and applause. That is where things took a turn for the worst.

* * *

><p>Sam and Freddie finally made their entrance at the reception venue, all their family and friends burst into applause. Carly grinned and made it a point to be directly in their line of sight once people began mingling. Carly's initial joy soon faded when Sam and Freddie walked right by her. It was almost as though they forgot about her. Carly grabbed a bottle of wine that a waiter had on his tray. Carly paused, 'Am I really gonna do this?' She turned around and glanced at Sam and Freddie once more. She went back to the oblivious waiter and grabbed another bottle.<p>

* * *

><p>It was during speeches when the fiasco happened. Carly, drunk off her ass and all the hurt and betrayal and anger bubbled inside of her from ten years prior, exploded. She grabbed a microphone from Melanie who was talking and began, "Hey y'all, whoo it is dizzy in here, but um okay, my name is Carly Shay and I am going to tell you all about the WONDERFUL story about Sam and Freddie. Okay, so Sam and Freddie are my best friends. Welp, they were. Till they started lying to me and keeping secrets from me and going to concerts and basically living their life without me. And OH and Freddie picked Sam for Prom Queen and let's see, they ditched me to go to Stanford, OH and Sam bought Freddie a camera. And you all know Freddie loved me first anyways. So yeah they stopped calling so I stopped calling and now we're ALL here at this fricking WEDDING celebrating Sam and Freddie so you two have a wonderful life together because Carly is DONE! Oh and-wait, give me the microphone back!"<p>

Sam's face was initially shock, then confusion, then guilt, then anger, then she felt as though she was ready to cry.

Freddie was at first shock then shock then shock then anger then disbelief. He finally came to his senses and stood up to take the microphone from Carly but Melanie beat him to it. She hissed into Carly's ear, "You need to go. NOW!"

Carly smirked, "Whatever," and stomped out of the reception, tears running down her face. The somewhat sober part of her knew she was wrong, but she just kept marching.

May 5th, 2021

"Oh my god, finally you pick up! Sam, please, please talk to me!" Carly pleaded on the phone.

"I only answered because we are finally moving out and I don't want the new people to be harassed by you daily," Sam replied bitterly.

"No one has talked to me since the wedding. I know I said some stuff, but-" Carly began.

Sam growled, "You ruined the reception. You didn't just say some stuff. You marched in, made a fool of yourself and embarrassed Freddie and I. I've forgiven you for that, really, I have, but quite honestly, our friendship is over. And it has been over for the past 8 years or so. We were friends once, and I'll always love you, but Freddie and I need our space. I can't have someone like that girl at the wedding in my life anymore. I just can't do it. Our friendship was the best thing that happened to me, because it led to me to great friends and it led me to Freddie, but that chapter in our lives is over. I think you know it too. You just need to accept it. You understand that, right?"

Carly's voice got choked up, "Y-yeah, I guess I do. I'm sorry for whatever I said. And I won't call again. I guess, I guess this is goodbye."

Sam simply, "Bye, Carls."

And that was the last time they ever spoke.

**Present Day - June 2026**

So Carly admired the couple from afar but didn't take a step closer to the family she didn't know anymore. She'd heard that Freddie became a successful talent agent and had offices in New York and Los Angeles. Sam became a successful lawyer but she rarely practiced and instead owned a chain of quality restaurants. Their daughter was about 3 years old and had curly blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was gorgeous and was already doing toddler commercials.

She should have known that all good things fade.

She should have known Freddie's love for her wouldn't last forever.

She should have known she'd end up alone because she was always too focused on what was ahead instead of enjoying her present time.

She should have known that eventually, the third wheel is removed so the other two wheels can do their duty. She was like the training wheels, something that was only needed at first to help begin the ride. But eventually, you have to take off the training wheels. And they are discarded without a second thought.

With that, Carly turned around, bent down, and for the first time, let herself bawl and cry over the loss of her best friends.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the blonde haired woman and the brunette man kissed their daughter. "I love you, Carly," Sam cooed at her daughter. "I always will."<p>

* * *

><p>PLEASE REVIEW! This was kinda sad but I just had this idea : She may seem OOC at the wedding but remember, she's drunk and hurt. Please let me know what you think!


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